Smartphones that use the Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system haven’t exactly made a dent in the market share enjoyed by iPhone and Android devices. And yet, Microsoft has refused to throw in the towel, hoping to entice new users with today’s introduction of Windows Phone 8. Alas, if you’re one of the few people who have been holding on to your Windows Phone for when the new OS came out, you’re out of luck.

On the cusp of a big Apple event today where a new iPhone is expected to be announced, fake emails are going around purporting to give details of “the new Apple iPhone5GS,” featuring a see-through keyboard. Clicking on the links leads to a malware-laced website that targets PCs. Here’s the email and what to look out for.

When the hard drive of Joseph’s Samsung laptop began to make clicking noises, he thought it would be simple enough to make a backup image of his hard drive, install a shiny new solid-state drive, and put the backed-up image on his new drive. This didn’t work, and he’s stuck without Windows on his drive. Now he yearns for those long-ago days when computer manufacturers actually shipped copies of the software installed on computers with those computers.

A man decided to try installing every single major upgrade version of Windows in consecutive order just to see what would happen, and made a video documenting the amazing results. Quite a dose of nostalgia. I like how the attention to seeing how the color scheme preferences are maintained or not maintained across installs is a major point of focus.

Juan writes that his granddaughter has a cute little digital picture frame marketed to children. He tried to hook it up to his computer to load some pictures on it for her, and couldn’t get it to cooperate with his computer. Juan tried to connect the picture frame using both Windows 7 and Vista, both of which the product’s marketing materials claim are compatible operating systems. Only…not so much. “Sometimes the program works and sometimes it doesn’t,” an employee helpfully told Juan after asking if he has a Windows XP system lying around.

We have no idea who first posted this picture, but
just to set the record straight, the sign is using a bilingual pun
on the Japanese word è²§ä¹ (binbo) which can be translated as
“poor.” It’s apparently promoting a store that sells cheap PCs and
computer parts, though we do kind of like the sound of “binbows,”
and may just start using that around the office when we want to
refer to Michaelsoft’s flagship product. Or other products that are
deemed worthy of such an appellation.

Windows: pressing the F1 key might make your computer go boom. A security exploit deployed by certain malicious websites hides in the Windows help files and could get launched if you press the F1 button. It will only happen, if the following is true:

If you hate buying a new PC that’s riddled with bloatware, you may want to pay a Microsoft Store a visit on your next computer shopping trip. They plan on selling PCs free of any third-party trial applications, reports OhGizmo.

Digital software downloads! Fast. Convenient. But sometimes, it can’t compare with having a physical disc and a printed product key sitting in front of you. That’s what Daniel’s roommate learned when he tried to download Windows 7 from Digital River.

What could be more American than celebrating the launch of a new product with an almost comically unhealthy fast-food product? Unfortunately, the seven-patty Windows 7 Whopper is only available in Japan.

Windows 7, Microsoft’s big bucket of bugfixes, hits stores tomorrow. If you had enough foresight to take advantage of Microsoft’s public beta and pre-order discounts earlier this year, you may already have a cheap version of the new OS. If not, here are a few ways to pick up Windows 7 now, without having to hand over $120, the lowest official price for an upgrade.

Is it s sponsored special? A glorified infomercial? We’re not sure, but on November 8, the Griffins of “Family Guy” will be hosting their own Windows 7 launch party of sorts, in the form of a half-hour special sponsored by Microsoft.